250 THE BEGINNER IN POULTRY 



be done to make them approach that evenness of grade 

 which is the market ideal. I have spoken in a rather 

 incidental way of the variation in color. All who buy 

 or use eggs know this. The breed classes may be 

 grouped as to color of eggs, though there are many 

 tones to the brown. The Asiatics are brown egg breeds, 

 and the Americans, having some Asiatic blood, have in- 

 herited the color in the egg. The Hamburgs, PoHsh, 

 Houdans, and Mediterranean breeds lay white eggs. 

 Generally, the small or more active birds with white ear 

 lobes comprise the white egg breeds. 



Besides variation in size, color, and shape, eggs are 

 found to vary in thickness and surface of the shell, and 

 in its actual texture. By this last I mean that some 

 shells are hard and firm, and fine grained, others being 

 too porous and often brittle. Sometimes, a bird, seem- 

 ingly having taken a surplus of lime, deposits some of 

 it on the surface as roughness, often raised into warts. 

 All such variations lessen the attractiveness of the egg, 

 and porosity of shell is very likely to point toward some 

 lack in feeding or other unfavorable condition, which 

 will make the eggs uncertain in hatchability. 



There is one variation in the outward appearance of 

 eggs, which, while it detracts from their handsome ap- 

 pearance, is not of sufficient importance to cause as 

 much apprehension as it often does. This is a rqugh- 

 ish or thickened band or ridge around the " waist " of 

 the egg. It is perhaps caused by an overlapping of 

 shell at this point when it is deposited, and gives the 

 shell the appearance of being pieced together. Some 

 throw out all such eggs when selecting for incubation, 

 on the assumption that such eggs will not hatch well. 



